Store-service apparatus



(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 2.

0. W. MQOORMIOK. STORE SERVICE APPARATUS.

No. 431,003. Patented June 24, 1890.

qwibnao ae o svwewfo'c 07060166 WflZbUmWu/bk (No Model.) v 6Sheets-Sheet 3.

C. W. MOGORMIGK.

STORE SERVICE APPA.B.ATUS.- No. 431.003. Patnted June 24,, 1890.

a nvem'ffoz aizajrled W/llb'omnioic,

WW3, 357 om mo I 5 Sheets-Sheet 4.

m m m MW A G I MV R E WS 00 T S q d 0 M 0 w No. 431,003. Patented June24, 1890.

c, 0mm.

(No Model.)

l/mimaooeo 5 Sheets-Sheet 5. 0. W. MQOORMIGK.

STORE SERVICE APPARATUS.

PatentedJune 24, 1890.

amounts a v Charles 7110 GormdaZa UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CHARLESIV. MCCORMICK, OF EMPORIA, KANSAS.

STORE-SERVICE APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 431,003, dated June 24,1890.

Application filed August 20, I889 Eerial No. 321,337. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES IV. MCCOR- MICK, of Emporia, in the countyof Lyon and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Store-Service Apparatus, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to that class of storeservice apparatus in whichthe track, fixed at one end by a pivot and adapted to be raised andlowered at the other end, so as to propel a car by gravity, is employed.

The object of my invention is to provide certain improvements in thisclass of storeservicc apparatus, which I point out in detail below byreference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is anelevation of a part of my apparatus at the vertically-movable end of thewire track as it-would appear in use. Fig. 2 is an elevation, partly insection, of a part of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1, but drawn on alarger scale. Fig. 2 is a cross-section of the pivoted connection of oneof the bails to the. basket detached. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of astop and saddle detached. Fig. 4 is a plan view of an upper pulley andits fastening detached. Fig. 5 shows a part of a brace or stay mechanismdetached. Figs. 6 and 7 show different views of a guide-loop detached.Fig. 8 is a plan view of the parts of the apparatus at thelongitudinally-movable end of the track. Fig. 9 is another view of thesame. Fig. 9 shows a part of the carframe having inclined shoulders tokeep the car-wheelon the Wire track properly. Fig. 10 shows another viewof the mechanism at the longitudinally-movable end of the track. Fig. 11shows still another view of the same. Fig. 12 shows a modification ofthe mechanism at the longitudinally-movable end of the track forregulating the tension of the track, in which a screw, instead of alever, is employed. Fig. 13 shows another modification in which a pulleymay be employed. Fig. 14 is an enlarged plan View of a part of what isshown in Fig. 13.

Referring to the letters upon the drawings, A indicates an ordinary wiretrack pivoted ner at its upper end to the ceiling of a room and providedwith a stay or brace E.

F indicates a pull-cord for raising the free end of the track, which isordinarily lowered by gravity, but may be lowered by the pullcord.

IVith this mere outline of my apparatus in View, I will now proceed todescribe in detail the parts that I deem to be novel and desire tosecure patent protection for.

The wire track is secured not directly to a fixed support, but to aspecial longitudinallymovable support at its pivoted end, which supportis adapted to regulate the tension of the track and to receive andretain and also at the proper time release the car. Referring to thistension-regulating mechanism, Gindicates a horizontal pipe secured tothe ceilings or walls of a building in any suitable manner by means ofsupports H or otherwise. Upon this horizontal pipe is rigidly fitted asleeve I, preferably made in two parts K and L, and clamped to placefirmly by means of screws M; but any other suitable means of rigidlyfastening the sleeve to the horizontal pipe may be employed. The part Kof the sleeve projects out and returns by a lug N, which bears upon thesurface of the horizontal pipe. This part K forms the fulcrum of thelever O, pivoted at P. The short arm of the lever is pivoted to a clevisor connectingpiece Q by means of a pin R. Several pin-holes S areprovided in the lever and also in the end of the clevis, by means ofwhich the clevis and lever can be connected together at differentpoints, and the tension of the track can be adjusted and the angles ofthe clevis with reference to the horizontal tube can be changed.

In practice it is important that the trackwires at theirlongitudinally-movable ends all come in as near together aspracticable-for example, at the cashicrs desk. They will therefore allhave dilferent angles with reference to the horizontal pipe. Theconstruction of the lever and clevis with the different pin-holes Sprovides fully for all the movements and adjustments necessary toaccomnodate this condition of things in practice.

Pivoted to the clevis at T is a stiff or rigid section of track T, towhich the wire track is secured in the manner illustrated or otherwise.This end section of the track is provided with stops U to stop the carand also with a curved spring V. As the car approaches on the track, itwill ride onto the rigid end section, and then the car-frame willimpinge against the curve of the spring V, by which means frictionalresistance is established, whereby the velocity of the approaching carwith its load will be gradually checked before it strikes against thestops. This rigid section of track is provided with shoulders W, which,together with the end of the clevis at X, constitute a rule-joint. Theclevis and the rigid end section of the track are so adjusted that saidend section will be in line with the track when the movable end of thetrack is at its lowest position. The result is that the clevis and rigidend section serve to support the weight of the car and its load as wellas the end of the track. The object of this arrangement is that when thetension of the track is relaxed for the purpose of releasing the movableend of the track from its retaining device, as will appear farther on,the weight of the car and its load will not be upon the track, and willnot therefore sag and bear the track down and take up its slack.

The vertically-movable end of the track is provided with a specialsupport Y, pivoted at Z to the frame of a trolley a, which moves up anddown the support D, so as to change the incline of the wire track A. Thevertically-movable end of the wire track is securedto the pivoted endholder or support Y in the manner illustrated in the drawings or in anyother suitable way.

1) indicates lugs with holes through them projecting above and belowfrom the frame of the trolley, to which the ends of the pullcord F arefastened.

3 indicates the end of the pivoted support Y, which serves as a bufferto stop the car,

- and it has an opening, through which the spring d, firmly secured tothe frame of the trolley, extends.

f indicates an upper stop to limit the elevation of the track. It isadjustable up and down, and preferably consists of saddle h, providedwith a lower inclined side i. The stop f is provided with a set-screw g,by which or by any other suitable means it may be secured to the supportD. The stop f and the support It may be formed in separate parts; but'itis generally desirable to have them in one piece. Together they form aretaining device. The object of this inclined extra section of thetrolley-track is to change the angle of the trolley-frame with respectto the wire track in operation, for a purpose that will be explainedfarther on.

7t" indicates a slight opposite incline at the upper end of the saddle,so as to leave a ridge Z between the two inclines. As the upper wheelsof the trolley pass over this ridge, the tension of the wire track willbe sufficient to hold the wheels of the trolley in place above the ridgeuntil the tension is released. The ridge therefore acts as a catchtohold the trolley in its elevated position'until it is released bymeans provided for the purpose.

The car-frame is provided with a stud m, adapted to entera hole atthrough the spring d, which serves as a latch to hold the car in placeat the vertically-movable end of the track.

0 indicates clips for fastening the bails 0' of the basket pivotally tothe bottom of the car-frame. The opposite ends of the bails are pivotedat o to the basket by hooks 0 or in any usual way. These bails arefastened near opposite ends of the basket and cross each other, asshown. The object of this arrangement of the bails is that as the carmoves along and comes to a stop the basket will be tilted more than itotherwise would be, and will thus better prevent the load from beingthrown out by the shock of sudden stopping. The bails crossing eachother, one of them tends to lift one end of the basket, while the othertends to lower the opposite end as the basket swings by inertia. Thebasket thus gets tilted, so that its bottom is in the path of the motionof the goods more completely than it would be if it moved in the arc ofa circle upon a single bail or upon two bails, both pivoted to thebottom of the carat the same point. The pull-cord passes over the upperpulley q and under the lower pulley r and through a combined guide-loopand stop 8.

10 indicates a spring, to which the lower pulley-block is secured to thefloor or to any suitable fixed object. This spring serves to keep thetension of the pull-cord what it should be, but allows it to be slightlyyielding. Thus Variations occasioned by contraction or expansion of thecord can be accommodated, and in case a pull upon the pull-cord isnecessary the spring will yield somewhat and allow the cord to move awayfrom the hanger far enough to free the hands.

The guide-loop s is provided with a large openingv and a small opening10, and the loop inclines upward, as shown. The object of thisconstruction is that the pull-cord will run in the small opening, andwhen the stop-button strikes the stop, the downward movement of thetrolley will cease. This will always occur at the limit of downwardmovement of the trolley or track support for the purpose of causinggravity to operate the car. The downward movement of the track inpractice should be such that the basket and its load will not strike theheads of people; but in order that an attendant may lower the basketfurther it is only necessary to draw the pull-cord out of the smallopening in the loop into the through the large opening.

large opening through which the stop-button will readily pass and permitthe descent of the trolley as far as desired. The upward incline 0f theloop always insures the stopping of the stop-button in the small openingand at the same time prevents its stopping when moving upward, becausein moving upward the button will slide outward and readily pass Thebrace E should be attached to the vertical bar or support D low enoughdown to hold it firmly.

Referring to the brace E,y indicates a piece that is mortised into andextends through said bar D vertically and is provided. with shoulders z,and is keyed to place by a pin A B indicates aninternally-screw-threaded section of a rod (the screw-threads not beingshown in the drawings) pivoted at z to the piece 3 C indicates a plateadapted to be secured to a wall or ceiling by means of screws or bolts DE indicates another internally-screwthreaded section of pipe pivoted tothe plate, the screw-threads not being shown in the drawings. Findicates another section of pipe externally screwthreaded, which servesto connect the two internallythreaded sections just described. The piece3 is provided with two or more fan-shaped projections, to which thebraces E may be pivoted. By this construction as many braces asnecessary can be applied at the same point of elevation on the verticaltrack to stay it in dilferent directions and hold it firmly for service.

In order that the trolley-frame may pass the piece y, I provide anopening through it at G Fig. 5.

In order to prevent the track-wire from getting between the car-wheelsand the frame of the car, I provide shoulders H projecting from theinside of the frame, so as to cover the edges of the flanges of thewheels. Their faces are inclined, and they are in such position withreference to the wire track that in case the car should be lifted upthey will cause the car to settle back onto the track.

Thevertically-movable end of the wire track may be raised or lowered byan attendant opperating the pull-cord; but it is desirable that thecashier or attendant at the longitudinallymovable end shall be able alsoto lower the vertically-movable end at will. In order that that may bedone, I have provided at the longitudinally-movable end of the wiretrack the means for releasing the tension of the track above described,and have also, at the vertically-movable end of the track, provided themeans for latching the trolley in its upper position, as described. Nowsuppose an attendant has placed goods in the basket and elevated thevertically-movable end to the upper stop, so that the trolley will catchthere and the basket will travel by force of gravity to the cashiersdesk. As soon as the cashier has attended to his part, and it isdesirable to have the basket returned to the Verticallymovable end ofthe track, it is necessary of course to have that end lowered; butmeantime the attendant may have forgotten it or have'gone to attend tosome other business.

In practice, with devices of a different kind, in which it is notprovided that the cashier can also lower the vertically-movable end ofthe track, much difficulty of this nature has been encountered. With mypresent device the cashier, by moving the lever O on its fulcrum, asindicated in dotted lines in Fig. can release the tension of the wiretrack, so that thetrolley will, by force of gravity, pass over the ridgeZ of the retaining device and drop to its lower position, where it Willbe stopped by the stop-button. If it were not for the rigid end sectionT, however, supporting the car, this means for releasing the tension ofthe track would be ineifective, for the reason that the weight of thecar and basket would cause the track to sag enough to take up what slackthe lever would produce and the strain upon the trolley would not hesufficient to release it and permit itto drop. As the car nears thelimit of its travel toward the vertically-movable end of the track, thecar-frame will strike against the curved end of the spring at, whichwill tend to check its motion gradually. As the car advances, the stud mwill strike against the curved end of the spring and raise it, so thatthe stud will enter the hole in the spring and latch the car at thelimit of its travel. Now when the trolley is elevated, so that its upperwheels ride upon the ridge Z of the retaining device, the spring will belifted elf from the stud and the car thus released, so as to be readyfor a return trip.

There are many ways in which the details of my apparatus may be modifiedwithout departing from the substance of my invention. For example, anymechanismfor instance, an ordinary pulley or screw, (see Figs. 12, 13,and 1et)adapted to tighten or slacken the wire track at itslongitudinally-movable taining device at the pivoted end of the trackand letthe track fall, may be employed.-

hat I claim is 1. The combination of a track having alongitudinally-movable support at one end and a vertically-movablesupport at the other end, a retaining device at its vertically-movableend to hold the track in its elevated position, and mechanism at theother end of the track for relaxing the tension to free the track fromthe retaining device, all substantially as described.

2. The combination, with a wire track pivoted at one end and movable upand down at the other end, of a horizontal pipe G, a sleeve I, securedthereto, having a projecting part K, to which is pivoted a lever O,which in turn is pivoted to a clevis Q, to which the pivoted end of thewire track is secured, so arranged that the tension of the track may beadjusted and varied, substantially as set forth.

end, so as to release the trolley from the re- 3. The combination, witha wire track pivoted at one end and movable up and down at the otherend, of a horizontal pipe G, a sleeve I, secured thereto, having aprojecting part K, to which is pivoted. a lever O, which in turn ispivoted to a clevis Q, to which .the pivoted end of the wire track issecured, so arranged that the tension of the track may be adjusted andvaried, the lever and the clevis being provided with pin-holes S,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination, with a wire track, of a stiff section of track T, towhich the wire track is secured, a clevis, to which the stiff section ispivoted, a lever, to which the clevis is pivoted, and a sleeve whichforms the fulcrum of the lever and is secured to a horizontal pipe G,substantially as set forth.

5. The combination, with a wire track, of a stiff section T, to whichthe end of the wire track is secured, pivoted to the clevis Q, which ismovable endwise, the end section being provided with shoulders whichbear against the end of the clevis at X and limit the pivotal movementof the end section downward, substantially as set forth.

(3. The combination, with a wire track having a rigid end section forsupporting it, of stops U and curved spring V upon said end section, thespring V being adapted to press upon a part of the car and gradually tocheck its motion by frictional contact, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination of a car-track having a movable end, a support Y,secured to the track and pivoted to the frame of the trolley, whichmoves upon a vertical track, and a spring secured at one end to thetrolley-frame and curved at the other end to press against the car andgradually to check its motion by frictional contact, substantially asset forth.

8. The combination, with the movable end of the wire track, of thesupport Y, to which the track is secured, pivoted to the frame of atrolley, a spring (I, secured to the frame of the trolley and extendingthrough an opening in the end of the support Y to form agradual stop forthe car, substantially as set forth.

9. The combination, with the movable end of a wire track, of a supportY, pivoted to the trolley-frame, a spring (I, rigidly secured to thetrolley-frame and extending through an opening in the end of thesupport, and a carframe provided with a stud 0%, adapted to enter a hole0?, through the spring d, substantially as setforth.

10. The combination, with the vertical support D, of a saddlef, havingan inclined part i and an opposite inclined part 70 at its upper end, soas to leave a ridge Z between the two inclines, substantially as and forthe purpose set forth.

11. The combination, with the car, of a basket having cross-bailspivoted to the car and to the basket, substantially as set forth.

12. The combination, with the support D, of the braces E and the piecey,passed through and secured to the support D and provided with fan-shapedprojections, substantially as set forth.

In testimony of all which I have hereunto subscribed my name.

CHARLES W. MCCORMICK.

Witnesses:

MARCUS S. HOPKINS, JOSEPH L. ATKINS.

